Hyderabad: Telangana has not had a single conviction in human trafficking-related offences, the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) report 2016 revealed although the crime is rampant in the city and districts. Hyderabad has seen a sharp increase in human trafficking cases from just seven in 2015 to 28 in 2016. According to data, 110 children were victims of trafficking in 2016, with Hyderabad recording 28 cases of human trafficking. In November alone, the special operations team of Rachakonda registered 17 cases.

Police said lack of evidence was one of the main reasons for zero conviction. The special operations team has been working round the clock to curb the menace. Lack of evidence is one of the main reasons for not solving cases, said Naveen Kumar, inspector.

He said that the rescued victims hailing from other states would not turn up for court hearings once they go back to their native places.

The victims are also treated as witnesses. So when they dont turn up for court cases, the chances of the accused going scot free are more. Due to this, police are now taking the house owner also as one of the witnesses and trying to collect more evidence from crime scene, he added.

In 2015, only 11 children were victims of trafficking. However, the data reveals that 110 children fell victims of traffcking in Hyderabad.

The main problem is that police do not follow up on the child missing cases. The data NCRB gathered is from police, but there have been several occasions when the trafficking of children go unnoticed and unreported. We have recorded nearly 300 child victims of trafficking in Telangana, while Hyderabad alone had 120 cases, said Achyuta Rao, city-based child rights activist.

Rachakonda police have been cracking down on the menace and have shut nearly 50 brothels. We have raided several apartments and lodges and closed down brothels. Nearly seven lodges were also closed by police this year. Nowadays, the accused are using websites and messaging applications to lure customers.

The human trafficking totally based on the demand and supply formula. We are planning to control the demand so that the supply also can be eradicated, said Mahesh Bhagwat, commissioner of police, Rachakonda.